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The Legacy of Apartheid

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The Legacy of Apartheid The Legacy of Apartheid Spatial Injustices in South Africa Arvet efter Apartheid Geografiska orättvisor i Sydafrika Emma Hänel Faculty of Health, Science and Technology Environment and Safety Bachelor Thesis 15hp Supervisor: Hilde Ibsen Examiner: Eva Svensson October 2019 Sammanfattning Den snabba takten av urbanisering innebär att städer kommer spela en avgörande roll för hållbar utveckling världen över. Bostadsbrist, ökat tryck på landresurser och försämrad miljö är några av de utmaningar som måste hanteras för att städer ska utvecklas hållbart. Sydafrika och Kapstaden står inför stora utmaningar med ihållande orättvisor och en akut bostadsbrist. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka hur det geografika arvet från apartheid påverkar människor i Sydafrika och Kapstaden idag och hur detta hanteras på provinsiell nivå i Western Cape, med Fish Hoek Valley som fallstudie. Studien har influerats av etnografi med fältarbete i form av observationer och samtal kombinerat med media artiklar och ett officiellt provinsiellt dokument, där en kvalitativ innehållsanalys använts på samtliga datainsamlingsmetoder. Resultaten visar på att det provinsiella styret i Western Cape är medveten om den ohållbara utveckling som råder, och har stora visioner för att ändra på detta. Verkligheten i ’the Valley’ visar att de fattiga fortfarande upplever orättvisor baserat på sin hudfärg och vart de bor. Människor uttrycker sin frustration över brutna löften och relationen till det lokala styret är svag. Miljön är inte prioriterad och insatser för förändring är otillräckliga. Den nyliberala riktningen landet tagit verkar ligga bakom svårigheterna att adressera orättvisorna. Slutsatsen är att det bör ske ett större ifrågasättande av nyliberalismens konsekvenser på politisk nivå för att förändring ska kunna ske. Nyckelord: Urbanisering, hållbar, geografisk rättvisa, nyliberalism, Kapstaden Abstract The rapid pace of urbanization means that cities will play a crucial role in sustainable development all over the world. Housing shortages, increasing pressures on land resources and a deteriorating environment are some of the challenges that need to be dealt with for cities to develop sustainably. South Africa and Cape Town is facing great challenges with persistent injustices and an acute housing crisis. The aim of this study has been to investigate the effects the unjust geographical legacy of apartheid has on people in Cape Town and South Africa today, how it is experienced and how this is managed on a provincial level in the Western Cape, using the Fish Hoek Valley as a case study. This study has been influenced by ethnography with fieldwork such as observations and conversations combined with media articles and an official provincial document, with all data being analysed through a qualitative content analysis. The results show that the Western Cape Provincial Government is aware of the unsustainable development in the region, and it has great visions to change this. The reality in ‘the Valley’ show that the poor still experiences injustices related to the colour of their skin and where they live. People are expressing their frustration over broken promises and the relationship to the local government is weak. The environment is not a priority and efforts for change are insufficient. The neoliberal path the country has taken appears to be the cause behind the difficulties to address the injustices. The conclusion is that the effects of neoliberalism should be questioned on a political level for real change to happen. Keywords: Urbanization, sustainable, spatial justice, neoliberalism, Cape Town Acknowledgements First of all I want to say thank you to my supervisor Hilde Ibsen for introducing me to South Africa and inspiring me to go. This thesis would not have happened without your encouragement and I am very grateful for the guidance and advice you have given me all the way from the start to the finish and for your deep engagement in every part of my research. Another important person that I would like to thank is my mentor Peter Fenton. Thank you for being a constant support during my whole stay in Kommetjie, for showing me around the Valley and beyond, contributing with important contacts and arranging meetings, and showing sincere interest in my research. I also want to say thank you to Dee Smythe for taking your time to provide me with material and for contributing with your knowledge about some of the issues in the area. A warm thank you to Sophia and Nathan for safely guiding me through the streets and homes of Ocean View and Solly for taking me around Masiphumelele. What the three of you are doing for your communities is really inspiring. I want to thank all of you who opened up about life in some of the communities of the Valley, to those who took their time to sit down for lengthy conversations and those who I met and talked to spontaneously, with some of you even inviting me into your homes. While everything did not fit into this thesis, every meeting and every conversation have deepened my understanding of the current issues and history of the area, and thus directly or indirectly shaped this thesis. I am very grateful to all of you. Thanks to the International Office at Karlstad University for believing in my research project and granting me with the MFS scholarship, and to SIDA for offering this opportunity. Lastly I want to say thank you to my family who have supported me during this whole time and for encouraging me to go to South Africa. It has meant a lot to me. Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Aim and research questions .............................................................................................. 2 1.3 Outline of thesis ................................................................................................................ 2 2. Previous research and theory .................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Neoliberal City ................................................................................................................. 3 2.2 Spatial Justice ................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Environmental Justice ....................................................................................................... 6 3. Research Design ..................................................................................................................... 8 3.1 Study area ......................................................................................................................... 8 3.1.1 Cape Town ................................................................................................................. 8 3.1.2 The Valley .................................................................................................................. 8 3.2 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 10 3.2.1 Ethnography ............................................................................................................. 10 3.2.2 Co-creation / Living knowledge .............................................................................. 11 3.2.3 Messy research ......................................................................................................... 12 3.3 Data collection ................................................................................................................ 12 3.4 Data analysis ................................................................................................................... 13 3.5 Ethical considerations ..................................................................................................... 16 4. Results .................................................................................................................................. 18 4.1 Persistent apartheid geography ....................................................................................... 18 4.1.1 Policy framework (PSDF) and challenges ............................................................... 18 4.1.2 Unsustainable urban growth .................................................................................... 20 4.1.3 Green Cape – ecological transition .......................................................................... 21 4.1.4 Living Cape – settlement transition ......................................................................... 22 4.1.5 Smart growth ............................................................................................................ 24 4.2 Realities: Spatial injustice and segregation .................................................................... 25 4.2.1 Housing need and broken promises ......................................................................... 26 4.2.2 Persistent Environmental and Social Risks .............................................................. 27 4.2.3 Lack of trust ............................................................................................................. 28 4.2.4 A quest for more participation ................................................................................. 29 4.2.5
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